Crystal River current. [volume] (Crystal, Colo.) 1886-18??, 1887-05-28
SHOP GIRLS.
Tho Popular Idea That They Are
Poorly Paid and Badly Treated IL

work in the big dry-goods and ladies'
furnishing stores of this city is fully
twenty-five thousand strong, says The
Philadelphia Times. They are known
us shop-girls, salesladies and saleswo-
men by the public, and there is popu-
lar impression that these storewomcn
are underpaid generally, harshly treat
ed. and subjected to long hours and a
trying time generally. Part of this is
true, but most of it is erroneous. The
majority of people who do not know
what saeswomen are paid have an idea
that they get wages amounting to % OF
81 week, that they are not allowed to
sit down. and that they work twelve
hours a day. The truth is that in all
of the big stores, where from fifty to
one thousand or more girls are en-
ployed, the lowest salary paid TO a
saleswoman is "a per week. This is
paid to beginners. At some of the
small shops, where there are only few
girls and where little business is done.
the pavgis from 81 to 81. but Il sales
woman who does not receive all the
way from 81 to $40 IL week has herself
to blame and nobody else. She can
not be a good saleswoman, or she
would receive more money. There is
always a demand in the large stores for
good saleswomen. A girl, when she is
first employed in Il big store is judged by
her book at the end of each week show
ing the total amount of sales she has
made. No girl can do as well the first
week as she does the second or the
1,t,,l tI.,f ,,, L..
not run up after she has been in the
store for month. the employers want
to know why. Her actions are observ-
ed and it is very easy TO see whether
she is alert and tries to please custom
ers and get them to buy. Some girls,
like some men, are droncs. and shIrk
work whenever they get chance. In
a big store, where there are SO many
saleswomen. there is an opportunity for
girls to avoid customers if they want
to. Their success depends to a very
great extent on their own efforts. FIRE.
quentlg girls are indifferent or impu-
dent 10 customers. Tbs drives the
buyer to another store. The girl and
her employer are both losers.
The most irving part of girls store
life is standing nearly all day. That is
part OF the business that is absolutely
necessary. The girls who stand behind
the counters have all easier time than
the girls who have to stand about at
hat tables and in the millinery depart
ments. The girls behind the counters
have the drawers to sit on or the count
ers TO lean against but in the big stores
where they are kept busy most of the
time they have little time to think Of
sitting down. and they do not discover
how tired they are unit | the day is over
In the cloak rooms and most millinery
rooms in big stores when the sales
women are not busy they have the free
dom of the plac. am! use the chairs that
are prov ded for the convenience of
customers. There are stores where
the floor walkers treat some of the girls
harshly, but the girl, if she has been
unfairly abused, can prevent a recur-
renee of any such treatment by appeal
ing to her employees. Most of the men
who are poprietors of big stores are
fair-mindcd men, and if the sales
women's services are valued she can
always get Justice. The men who are
tloor-walkers in the big stores are EN-.
ployed 10 see that the girls wait on
customers that customers lr. not in
differently treated by the girls. and to
keep general lookout. Very few
merchants accept the bare statement of
Il tloor-walker who reports sales
woman. The charge is invariably in
vestigaLcd.
In a number of the large stores the
saleswomen get more pay than the
statesmen. Women invariably prefer
to deal with women in buying ribbons.
hats. underwear. coats. silks, velvet,
..xIs L..
man wants to buy for her own wear
A saieswoman wears the same things
comparatively as the woman customer.
She can give the woman the benefit of
her experience. A man can not. The av-
erage pay received by young lady rang
ing from II to % years in big stores is SO
a week. A great many only get 81
dollars week. and great many only
get Sc. while many receive $40, others
S12 and S13. and there are at least fif-
tv women in the large stores who have
charge of 4 department who get $50 a
week. A good hat saleswoman in the
trimmed-hat department of a millinery
store commands from so to Sl5 week.
She has to show good taste in trim
ming hats and to have originality in
design and effects of colors. If she is
smart she can make woman think
hat becomes her and fix il up to
make it look bewitching. A woman's
greatest weakness the world over.
from the mechanics wife to the mill
ionaire's better half, is her love of a
beautiful bonnet. In the coat depart
ment of the big stores nowadays the
saleswomen command good salaries
Theymust be quick and active, and if
they understand their business they
are students OF human nature and
know what customer wants better
than the customer herself. 1t is so in
the silk department also. A saleswo-
man of experience can suggest how
the dress shoald be trimmed. She can
sell valuaa,e beaded front along with
the silk ard double the amount of the
sale. A girl who can wear a smile at
will ana ;ae pleasant to a customer neY-